Publisher's Summary

Monumental: It Was Never About a Statue is a memoir from Dr. Bellamy, former vice-mayor and current city councilor, city of Charlottesville, Virginia, about the essence of the white supremacist attacks in his city and how a movement to awaken a nation was born.

Step into his shoes and hear what it felt like to be in the midst of a war for the soul of a community. Travel with Dr. Bellamy, the only African American city councilor at the time of the attack, on this journey through his personal lens that describes the untold story of a city grappling with the fight for equity while simultaneously fighting to right the wrongs of the past. Monumental covers the year before the white supremacist attacks and the year after as this small Southern city dominated national and international headlines and social media.

Dr. Bellamy writes, “They came with torches, they came with swords and shields, they came with guns. They came with signs that called me the N-Word, months earlier they tried to take my livelihood, break down my family, and send us all a message. It was clear this was deeper than a statue. My city was in the midst of a change that the world would see. This monumental shift would have ramifications felt across the world, and through my eyes, it was a fight that almost cost me everything, but it was all worth it."

Look through the eyes and the lens of Dr. Bellamy, who is often attributed, for better or worse, as the person who pushed the scene of events into the forefront. The removal of a statue is one thing, but this monumental shift, highlighting race, equity, and justice, was something more.